


Life Is Strange: Battling The Storm

by SassmasterMaxie



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Life Is Strange: Before The Storm
Genre: Ending Fix, F/F, Gen, Let Rachel and Chloe and Max be happy together jesus, ME HATING THE BURY YOUR GAYS TROPE SO HARD, Multi, also why not option 3: save Chloe AND Arcadia Bay, major major fix-it fic, wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff abound, will be adding to the character tags as more characters get introduced
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2019-10-05 12:38:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17325146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassmasterMaxie/pseuds/SassmasterMaxie
Summary: When Max Caulfield is forced to choose between saving her best friend Chloe or saving her town of Arcadia Bay, how can she make that choice? She's seen so much of how Chloe suffered while she was away in Seattle, and now she wants to bring the one who harmed Rachel Amber to justice too.  Max needs more time...





	1. The Rewind

“It's the only way...” Chloe held up the photo of the blue butterfly that Max had taken, looking over at her best friend. “You know what you have to do, Max. If you want to stop the storm, then you have to... to... I have to...”

Max took the photo with a trembling hand, the icy rain still stinging her face. She glanced over at the raging tornado that was just mere moments away from swallowing up Arcadia Bay, then back at the photo. She gasped when she felt Chloe's hand on her shoulder.

“Think about it, Max! Think about all the times I've died or almost died around you... this is the world's way of telling me that I should accept my fate...” It took a moment for Chloe to find the words. “My mom deserves better than to die in a storm in a fucking diner! And... and so does my step... father, too. They deserve to be happy...”

“I can't... I can't do this...” Max said with a shake of her head.

“No.” Chloe did her best to sound resolute. “You're the only one who can.”

“I can't make this choice!” But then Max had an idea. Surely there had to be a way to not choose between her hometown and her best friend... and she had the power to do so. It was going to be hard on her but... it seemed like a small pain in comparison to the other options before her. “... So I won't. I'm going to save you... AND Arcadia Bay.”

“How?”

“I'll find a way. But this photo will give us more time...” Blocking out the sounds of the howling winds and the icy rain as best she could, Max focused on the photo. As her power aligned with the photo, she felt herself being pulled inward...


	2. Retracing The Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is back to the point where she discovered her power, but now she has a new task. Get to Chloe, get the evidence and stop Mark Jefferson. But she forms an unlikely alliance...

Max put her camera back in her bag after retrieving the photo of the butterfly. Her head was aching but she knew what she had to do. Retrace her steps as before. Wait for Nathan and Chloe to enter the bathroom, hit the alarm before Nathan can shoot, then find Chloe and go from there.

As if on cue, Nathan Prescott had barged into the bathroom, going through the speech that Max had heard a few times. Then she heard Chloe's voice. As the discussion turned tense, Max quickly smashed the glass on the fire alarm and hit the bell as she had before. And just as before, Chloe was able to escape and Nathan fled.

Max headed out of the bathroom and was stopped by David, who was interrogating her on her whereabouts. “I know, David. I was using the bathroom and...” She felt something wet trickling down her nose. Bringing up her hand, she wiped it away and saw that it was blood. “Sorry. I'd better get back to my dorm and clear this up...” David didn't seem to want to let her go until Principal Wells called to him. David gave Max a distrustful stare and went on his way.

Before she could leave the school building, the Principal stopped her and asked her the same question that she'd heard the last time. “I had to be excused from class. Nosebleed got pretty bad. Look, I just need to find the nurse and I can get it seen to...”

“I can see that, Max. Go on, you'd better get sorted.” The Principal nodded and let her go.

Once Max was outside, she sighed and tried to go through what she needed to do. Travel back through the photo, done. Gather evidence on the Dark Room and turn the proof in. Find Chloe. Make preparations to evacuate Arcadia Bay. Try not to freak the fuck out. Okay, she could do that.

She traced her steps back from the first time, heading back to the dorms so that she could get Warren's flash drive for him, saying a passing hi to Juliet and Dana. She would have gotten the evidence again for Juliet but right now she was too focused on her new mission. When she left the dorms, she was stopped by Victoria, still covered in paint after the tampered paint can worked as it had done before.

“You're in so much of a hurry, Max. What's going on?”

“Not now, Victoria. I need to get this back to---”

Then Victoria blocked her from walking past. “Look, I... I wanted to say thanks for... you know, not making fun of me all covered in paint. But you're NEVER this serious.”

Max sighed. “You're not going to like this, but... stay away from Mark Jefferson. And no, I'm not crushing on him.” Victoria seemed puzzled and arched a brow. “Look, I overheard that he's doing something... terrible... to people from Blackwell.”

“By being so hot that you get distracted?” Victoria laughed. Max shook her head.

“No. I heard he keeps a secret underground bunker where he drugs and kidnaps people to... to take sick photos. That's what he meant when he said in class! He said he could frame any one of us in a dark corner and capture us in a moment of desperation...”

“Max, you are reading into this far too deep. Mr Jefferson wouldn't--”

“He would. And I think I overheard the location. I have to check it out. Even if I can save just one more person...”

“I'm probably not going to like this but... can I come with? I think I need to see this for myself.” Victoria gave Max a look and she nodded. “Not saying I don't believe you but this needs evidence.” The two girls were about to head for the parking lot when Max saw David hassling Kate as he had before. She asked Victoria to quickly grab a photo and when she had it, Max then went up to confront David. He backed away after some persuasion and Kate thanked Max before going on her way. 

“Victoria, come on!” Max beckoned to her unlikely ally. Victoria ran up and asked what to do with the photo, and Max said for her to save and print it for evidence later.


	3. Gathering the Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Victoria are about to take the next step in their mission. While Max is retracing her steps as she had before, she catches up with Chloe again. And now she has to go through David Madsen's files, find the evidence she needs and then get going. But this time she has to keep it from her best friend...

At the parking lot, Max was going up to give Warren his flash drive. He took it but stopped when he saw Victoria behind her.

“Whoa... you're... hanging with Victoria now? Guess they let you into the Vortex Club.”

“Nah. Victoria's helping me with a secret mission. Or she was until--” Max turned to see Nathan and Victoria talking, but it was getting heated before he turned his attention to Max, going up to her. Warren pushed him off and tackled him to the ground.

Chloe's truck pulled up in front of Max and she had that same moment of disbelief at seeing her best friend. But she quickly climbed in and Victoria jumped into the back seat. Max and Chloe had a little catch-up before her attention went to the other passenger.

“New best friend?”

“No, just an acquaintance. Chloe, this is Victoria Chase. She's helping me with a mission of mine. And I think your step-dick has what we're looking for.” Max remembered what her best friend called David at times.

“Probably. That Rambo wannabe has so many files and shit. So what exactly are you looking for?”

“Something that'll lead me to an underground bunker. I heard one of our teachers is doing some sick shit...”

“And I have to see this for myself,” Victoria added, “since this is a huge accusation to make.” Chloe simply nodded and drove them to her house.

By the time the trio got there, nobody was around. Chloe unlocked the door and led the others to her room. “Max, this place probably looks different to when you last saw it. Hey, why don't you guys put some music on and we can chill for a bit before we deal with step-dick?” Max laughed lightly and went to switch on the power to the stereo, remembering where the box with the CD was and pulling it out, taking out the picture of Chloe and Rachel together.

“That's Rachel Amber... her posters are all over Blackwell...”

Chloe sighed. “She's been missing for a few months now. After you left and Mom started hanging out with step-douche... she came to the rescue. She was my angel. I... Max, I...” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I just want her to come back, you know? Or did she ditch me like everyone else in my life?”

Max had to bite her tongue. She knew exactly where Rachel was and she didn't have the heart to tell Chloe. After seeing how she broke down... she couldn't do that to her best friend again. Even Victoria was silent.

“I'm sure she didn't ditch you, Chloe. Hey, you should relax and medicate for a bit. Victoria and I will go and see what your step-dick knows.” Max rubbed Chloe's arm and went to set the stereo up. Chloe lit a cigarette and laid back against the bed while Max led Victoria out of the room and downstairs.

Victoria looked back up the stairs then. “If she's your best friend, why isn't she with us?”

“Listen, Victoria...” Max breathed out a sigh. “Just... go with it, okay? Go with what I'm about to tell you, because... I can't really explain it right now. I can rewind time. And the first time I started using this power, Chloe was with me when we were uncovering the sick shit... Oh, and... I plan to tell Chloe about my powers. But you CAN'T tell her that I told you first.”

Victoria simply stared at Max in stunned silence, only giving a nod. Max continued.

“We found Rachel Amber. But she was already dead and buried in the junkyard. That's why we CAN'T let Chloe know. I saw her break down once. I can't... I can't see her hurt again...” A pause.

“What...? Rachel's...” Victoria shook her head. “I was jealous of her, but I'd never wish this on her. Okay Max, tell me what to do.” Max relayed her plans – to check out David's files, gather the evidence that the man had on the location of the Dark Room, and bust Mark Jefferson. Victoria nodded and the two went through the files.

Fortunately David had everything they needed. Max put the files in her bag and rewound the scene as far as she could, making the garage look like it had never been tampered with. She rubbed her head and turned back to Victoria. “Those are the files. Now we should--”

She was interrupted as the front door handle started to turn. “Upstairs!” The two ran back into Chloe's room just as someone came in.

“Chloe? Are you blasting that punk shit again?” It was the voice of David Madsen. Chloe quickly turned the stereo off and looked to Max and a rather panicked Victoria.

“Dude, the music isn't even on!” But she saw the door handle turn and she quickly forced herself against the door. “I'm changing! Give me a minute!” Then she lowered her voice. “You two need to hide, now!”

Max quickly pulled Victoria into the closet and slid the door closed just as David barged into the room, demanding to know whether or not Chloe had been smoking weed again. It was hard for her to watch her best friend get shouted at so she went out, taking the blame for the weed. David lectured her on how she would ruin her spotless Blackwell record before leaving.

Once David had gone, Victoria let herself out from the closet. “Look, Max and I need to head back to Blackwell. Homework to do and all that.” She was trying to make an excuse so that the two of them could go to the Dark Room.

Chloe seemed disappointed by that. “I was hoping to get some quality time with my badass best friend here. Besides, homework sucks. If this Mr Jefferson is so nice, he'll just let you off, right?”

Victoria folded her arms. “Even Mr Jefferson doesn't approve of late homework. Don't worry, as soon as we're done, I'll make sure that Max comes right back. Sounds like you two haven't caught up in a long time.”

“Alright...” Chloe said, sighing and running her hands down her face. “Go... do school shit. I'll give you a ride back to Blackwell.” She led the other two out of her room and out of the house, letting them pile into the truck before driving them back to the academy.


	4. Formulating a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Victoria have the files. Now they just need to plan their next moves.

Chloe saw Max and Victoria off at Blackwell. After she had driven off, Victoria was about to ask Max what was to be done next when Taylor and Courtney walked up, wondering why the hell their friend was now hanging around with the 'hipster groupie' as Taylor put it. Max did her best to stay out of it while Victoria argued, stating how she wasn't happy with them after they took so long to get towels so that she could clean the paint off, and that she was busy and didn't have time to deal with the small matters. Eventually the others relented and backed off. Victoria breathed a sigh of relief and went to rejoin Max.

“We have the files, so what next?”

“Right.” Max looked over the files briefly. “Let's head back to the dorms and get our bearings, then we'll head out to this old barn. That's where the sick shit is.” A pause. “You do have a car, right?” Victoria gave an affirmative nod. “Okay then. Let's head to the dorms.”

Once the two women had made it to the dorms, Max led Victoria into her room and spread out the files on the bed, looking over each one in turn. “So this barn is where we want to go. It looks like it's some way away from Arcadia though. You still sure you want to see this?” She was making notes on a piece of paper, drawing out a crude map and walking Victoria through it, even though she now looked considerably more worried.

“I'm sure...” Victoria's voice shook a little. “I don't know, Max. I'm scared about what we'll find down there. And if you travelled in time and said you already saw it...” She sighed then. “It must be really bad if you don't want your best friend seeing it.”

Max could only nod at first. “You might want to change into something else. Not that I don't like your taste in fashion, but I wouldn't want you ruining any more cashmere.” Victoria excused herself to get changed, and when she came back, she was wearing a shirt and an old pair of jeans.

“If Taylor and Courtney saw this though...”

“Don't worry. They won't. And even if they asked, you could say that you didn't want to ruin any more expensive clothes. Let's get to your car.”


	5. The Dark Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Max, this is one place she didn't particularly want to return to. And although Victoria is still skeptical, she needed to see for herself. She's getting a lot more than she bargained for.

Max and Victoria made it to the car with no issues. Victoria started the car up while Max got inside, doing up her seatbelt.

The drive to the barn felt oddly long, even with some nice music playing from the car radio. Victoria simply focused on driving while Max checked her camera. It had taken a bit of a beating from before she was forced to run from Nathan but was still intact, although she wasn't sure if it still worked.

When they got to the barn, Victoria parked the car some distance away before they headed up to it. “This place doesn't feel right,” she said as she took out her own camera, making sure that the batteries and memory card were in place before turning to Max, “but what now? Where to from here?”

“Inside. Victoria, I have to warn you, you're probably not gonna like what we find. But take as many pictures as you can. We have to get all the evidence we can.” Max headed up to the barn and pushed open a loose panel on the side, climbing in. Victoria followed and was looking around. She'd found a box and was looking inside it, seeing that it contained things that mentioned Nathan's family.

“What would the Prescotts want with an old barn?” Victoria rummaged through the stuff before looking at Max. “Is Nathan involved?”

“... Yes.” Max hesitated as she spoke. “And if we get the evidence here, we can save him too.” She went to clear the hay from around where she remembered that the trapdoor was, then asked Victoria to boost her to the higher platforms. Then it was a case of hooking the lock and tying the rope to the old motor, kicking it down to break it off.

As Max jumped down from the platforms, Victoria had been trying to lift up the trapdoor. “So... under here... this is what Mr Jefferson was doing?” Max could only nod in response as she helped to lift the trapdoor open, but once it was up, she felt a sharp pain in her head and fell to the side, grunting.

_'I'm here again...? The storm...!'_

_Max could feel the wind and the rain stinging her face once more. The lighthouse was up ahead. All she had to do was make it there..._

_But as she tried to make her way up the path, she thought she heard a voice calling her name..._

“Hey, Max? Max!” Victoria gently shook the other woman's shoulders. “Wake up... you just passed out!” She moved back a little as Max sat up, pressing a hand to her temple.

“Fuck...” Slowly the brunette stood up, a little wobbly on her feet. Victoria supported her and asked if she was okay. “I'll be okay. Let's just go in.”

The two women entered the room. Victoria was somewhat awed by it all and as Max directed her to where the true Dark Room really was, her mouth fell open.

“Oh my god. This is a full-fledged photo studio! Hey Max, if we could get all this stuff to be ours, can you IMAGINE what we could do? Everyone at Blackwell will be so jealous, and you certainly wouldn't be seen as a hipster weirdo with all of this...”

But Max didn't share her enthusiasm. She stood up and sighed. “You haven't seen what I saw in this room, Victoria. In fact... in the timeline I just came from, we were both tied up in this room, right...” She walked over to the large white mat that was lit with several strong lights. “Here. You were taped up on the floor and I'd been taped to a chair. Ugh...” She had to step back, feeling a very real pang of nausea at the thought. “Okay. Let's just get back to what we need to do.” Leading Victoria over to the cabinet where she remembered finding the files, she opened it and pulled out a binder marked 'Rachel'. She then placed it on the table and opened it. “Victoria. This is the evidence.”

Victoria was a little baffled but she looked closer at the photos in the binder, having to turn away. “She's tied up and drugged... what the fuck? You were right, Max, this is some sick shit. But who did it?” She flicked through the photos and stopped on one. “What's Nathan doing in this photo? And he's put her into the ground like he's... like he's... burying her!”

“Nathan was buying drugs to use. But it was because Mr Jeffershit manipulated him...”

“You did not just say that.”

“I did. They had some weird father-son thing going on. All we have to do is take photos, gather all the evidence we can and get it to the police.” Max took out her camera and was about to line up for a photo. “Shit... my camera's busted. Should have fixed it while we were at Chloe's. Her stepdad has the tools I need.”

Victoria handed Max her camera. “I know it's not the same, but you know what to photograph here, so I'll let you do it. Just don't break it.” Max nodded and after some instructions on how to use the basic functions of the camera, she was taking as many pictures as she could. Nothing even vaguely incriminating was left un-photographed. Once she'd taken all the pictures, she handed the camera back to Victoria.

“There is one other place we need to go, and that's to American Rust.”

“The junkyard? Why?” Victoria asked as she switched the camera off and put it back in her bag.

“There's still one more piece of evidence. The photo you pointed out with Nathan and Rachel? We're getting pictures of that. And... that's the reason I didn't want to bring Chloe. This part absolutely broke her...”

“Oh god... I'm not sure I can handle it either. But if it'll get us the evidence we need to stop this? I'll take it.” Victoria sighed, her teeth tugging at her lower lip for a moment. “I can't believe that it'd be Mr Jefferson of all people... he seemed so nice.”

“I didn't believe it at first until it was too late. But I came back in time to set things right. I don't know if I can bring Rachel back. But I'll certainly work to give her the justice that she deserves.”

“Okay Max. Let's get back to the car and to the junkyard. I feel like you know what you're doing.” The two women made their way out of the Dark Room and back to the car, driving off and heading for the junkyard.


	6. The Final Piece of Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is gathering the final piece of evidence to build her case. But was she too eager in the process?

Victoria parked her car just moments away from the junkyard. Max quickly climbed out of the car and made her way towards the spot.

“Max, wait! Don't you need my camera?!” Victoria quickly grabbed her bag.

“Just bring it with you!” Max called back. “I'm gonna find the spot!” It didn't take her long, almost as if she'd memorised the route. She started to dig in the ground but had to stop as the stench hit her.

Victoria ran up but had to keep her distance. “Is it... is it...”

“I can't tell. I can't get too close without wanting to throw up.” Max shook her head. “But from what I can see, it doesn't look completely like... I just hope it's not. I could've been wrong the first time and I only thought it was Rachel because of how Chloe reacted.”

Victoria quickly passed her camera to Max before she backed off again, gagging as she covered her nose and mouth. “I-I really hope so.” She kept her distance while Max took the photos.

Eventually Max stood and handed the camera back. “Okay. Now to go to the police. We can send them a tip so they'll find this, and the Dark Room. And maybe, just maybe, we'll find out whether the body we found is really Rachel...”

~ ~ ~

It was a day later. Max had been hoping that the police investigation wouldn't take too long since she barely had a week, if that, before the tornado was due to hit Arcadia Bay. Yes, she could jump back through a photo if she needed to, but considering what she was planning, she couldn't afford to stretch her powers too far.

She opened up the website for the Arcadia Bay Police Department to check on a few things, and noticed that the missing persons page for Rachel Amber had been changed from 'missing' to 'found deceased'.

Her heart sank. It had been Rachel all along.

With a sigh, she scrolled down the page to see what else had been said in the report. Something caught her eye. '38-year-old Mark Jefferson arrested in connection with disappearance and on suspicion of her murder'.

A small comfort. Too small. Max closed her laptop and wiped her hands down her face. She reached for her phone and texted Chloe, asking if she wanted to hang out for a bit. Perhaps some time with her best friend would help to ease her mind somewhat. But this meant that she was going to have to plan some more time-jumping.

“I shouldn't... but...” Her mind had gone back to the time she'd tried to stop Chloe's biological father William from dying, and how that had ended up with Chloe in the car crash instead. “I have to try. For Chloe...”

Max was jumped out of her thoughts by a loud buzzing. Checking her phone, she'd seen that Chloe had replied but she just wanted to stay in her room and needed her best friend right now. She grabbed her stuff and left for Chloe's house as quickly as she could.


	7. A Bittersweet Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max finally gets to spend some time with Chloe, although after hearing the devasating news about Rachel, she's not feeling herself.

“Come in...” Chloe ushered Max into her room before shutting the door. “I just... I don't know what to do...”

Max wasn't sure if she could reveal that she'd helped spur the investigation into Rachel's disappearance yet, so she played dumb. “What happened?”

Chloe couldn't meet her best friend's gaze although her eyes were red and puffy from crying. “I heard the news report. Mom had it on before. The police found Rachel dead... she... she can't be dead! They're lying, right?!”

“I wish they were...” Max hugged her best friend tight, realising that perhaps she'd been too overzealous with getting the evidence. “But the report said they found DNA evidence... I'm so sorry, Chloe...” She could barely speak through her own tears even as Chloe sobbed into her shoulder.

It took a good few hours before Chloe was calm enough to speak properly. “The report... it said that someone called Mark Jefferson was involved. Isn't he... your teacher?” She shook her head. “Why would a teacher be involved like that...”

“Was my teacher. I don't know. Maybe he thought he could cover his tracks. But in class, he said that he could frame any one of us in a dark corner and capture us in a moment of desperation. What sort of shit is that?” Max sighed heavily. Chloe prompted her to continue. “Something about how he said it just made me go... ugh.” She paused then. “I know that this may be completely unrelated, but... I think I have something here.”

“What, Max? That your teacher was a fucking dickhole?”

“That. And something else.” Max took a breath. “Look. I can rewind time. Just... go with it, okay?” She pulled out the photo of the blue butterfly and handed it to her best friend. “That look familiar?”

“Wait. You were in the bathroom when Nathan had the gun on me!” Chloe snatched the photo from Max's hand. “I'm keeping this for now. So. Let's just say that what you've told me so far is true. You can rewind time. I gotta see this for myself.”

“Well, it's part of the reason why I already knew Jefferson was a fucking creep. But I'd need a better place to demonstrate.” Max pursed her lips in thought. “Breakfast at the Two Whales? On me.”

Chloe frowned a little. “Maybe tomorrow? I'm not sure I want to be outside right now. I need time.” She looked over at Max. “Any other way you can show me?”

“I could... tell you what you have in your pockets.” Max paused to have a think. “You've got... your car keys in there.”

“Never leave without 'em. But details! What's my keychain?”

Did Chloe have the same keychain as before? Worth a try, Max thought. “A cute little robot panda keychain!” Chloe reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. Sure enough, there was the keychain.

“You... you got it! But what else have I got?” Chloe now had a goofy grin on her face, her sorrow temporarily pushed aside. Max recited a few items she remembered from her initial demonstration and then Chloe emptied out her pockets. “That was... not as good as I was hoping. Are you sure you can rewind time?”

“Just out of practice,” Max replied sheepishly as she studied every item that Chloe had removed from her pockets. The car keys, a box with ten cigarettes in it, a liquor store receipt and her phone with a picture of her and Rachel as the background.

Now was the time to dazzle. She focused and rewound back to just after she'd told Chloe that she could tell what she had in her pockets.

“So... what've I got in my pockets?” Chloe tilted her head slightly. Max then recited off the list of what she'd remembered, including some specific details. Then Chloe emptied out her pockets, her mouth falling open. “Holy shit. I just got so many fucking chills. This is hella cool!” She met Max's gaze with a cheeky grin. “I have to see more. What else can you do?”

“I could... tell you four things that happen in the next minute or so.” Max rubbed her chin. “I'd be able to demonstrate better if we were somewhere more public, but I understand if you don't want to leave your room today.”

Chloe nodded. “Okay, show me.” Max listened and looked around, taking note of Joyce shouting for Chloe, then her response, then seeing her computer go to the screensaver, then finally a precariously balanced bottle of beer falling to the ground. “Well...?”

Max didn't respond, instead focusing her power and rewinding back to just after saying she could predict four things. Chloe prompted her on them. “Okay. Joyce shouts up to see what you want for dinner. You say sausages and mash. Your computer goes to its screensaver. Then that bottle of beer on the dresser falls on the floor.” The events played out exactly as Max had described. Chloe looked over at her best friend with wide eyes.

“I pledge allegiance to Max Caulfield and all that she stands for!” She bowed her head. “That was so fucking awesome. I really needed to see something cool after the shit I'd seen earlier...”

“I don't feel so awesome...” Max grunted as she felt the throbbing pain in her head. Wiping at her nose, she made a disgruntled sound when she felt blood. “This isn't something I can just use willy-nilly, Chloe. It takes a lot of effort and I don't even know how long I'll have this power for.”

“All the more reason TO use it! Come on, Max! I not only have my best friend back but now she has superpowers? Okay, okay. Tomorrow, we go out and you show me more things. I have to see more!”

“After class. I have my science project with Ms Grant. But after that, I'll show you. Okay?”

“Okay.” Chloe managed a smile. “I'd drive you back to Blackwell but I really don't feel like leaving my room tonight aside from eating dinner with Mom and step-shit.” She reached over to grab a tin and pulled out a few dollar bills. “Here, I'll pay for your bus back. I'll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course, Chloe. I have class in the morning but I'm free after then so... lunch at the Two Whales? It'll be on me.” Max was still wiping up the remnants of her nosebleed before she took the bills from Chloe.

“Sounds good to me, Max. Oh, don't forget to clean up your nose before you go.”

Max nodded and left Chloe's room, cleaning up before she left. She had a lot to do now, and it wasn't just demonstrating her powers to her best friend.


	8. The Second Rewind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After returning to her dorm, Max starts her slew of time-jumping escapades to save both her best friend and the town. Will she be able to hold it together?

It was getting to the evening when Max returned to her dorm. She'd put her bag down and was just about to get changed into her nightclothes when she heard a knock at her door. Going to open it, she blinked when she saw Victoria standing in the doorway holding two boxes of cookies.

“Hey Max... I saw the news. And I brought cookies.” She handed one of the boxes over. “Does... does Chloe know about...”

Max took the cookies and sighed. “She does. And, uh, thanks for the cookies. I'll enjoy these.” She paused for a moment. “Hey, Victoria... if you needed something, now may not be the best time. I've got... things to do. Big things. And I may be able to save everyone. Can you do me a favour?”

“What's that?”

“If you know anything about a video involving Kate and her... doing things that are out of character? Do me a huge fucking favour and delete it. Don't let it go viral.” When Victoria asked why, Max explained what she'd seen in the previous timeline about how she had to talk Kate out of jumping off the roof of the dorms.

“Oh my god. I think Nathan did send me a video like that. I'll delete it right away and check who else he's sent it to.” Victoria set the other box of cookies down on the bedside table. “I'd better do that now before it gets hectic in here.”

Max pointed out the cookies. “One box is enough for me. Thank you though.”

“No take-backsies!”

“Okay, okay... go on, do what I said and I'll try and be with you soon.” When Victoria left, Max closed the door and sat down on the bed. This would take a lot more than she'd anticipated. First of all she was going to have to locate a photo from a few years ago that she could jump back into and try and convince her parents to take her back to Arcadia Bay. After that... then she'd have to see what present day she came back to and see what else needed fixing. Time jumping at this level was going to be hard on her. But at this point what choice did she have? If it would save Rachel and give Chloe some shred of happiness...

Sighing, she went over to the bookcase and pulled out a few photo albums, flicking through them to try and find a suitable point. Not all of the photos were viable; some of them were not ones she was involved with in some manner, as in she hadn't taken them or wasn't in them in some form. But she picked out several from her days out in Seattle, taken about three and a half years ago.

That would be enough time, she told herself as she began to focus on the photo, feeling herself being pulled in and the voices around her growing...

~ ~ ~

_Being in her younger self's body was still as jarring as it had been the first time that she jumped back in time this far. But Max knew what she had to do. She had to convince her parents that she needed to go back to Arcadia Bay. Perhaps the notion of missing Chloe so much could work...?_

_It took a few days of begging and pleading to go back, but eventually her father agreed to take her back to Arcadia Bay and entrust her care to a friend of his. Now that she was on her way back, she began to return to the present day..._

~ ~ ~

“Oh, fuck!” Max blinked several times as her eyes refocused on the new present day. She was wiping the blood from her nose just as a tall pale man sat down opposite her. Definitely not one she recognised at first. Very pale skin, white hair that went to his shoulders and blue eyes that looked somewhat misted. A very angular jawline and slightly slanted eyes, with various wrinkles and laugh lines on his face.

“You alright, honey? Here, let me get that...” He was about to grab a tissue for her when Max stopped him and got the tissue herself.

“What are you...? Who...?” All she knew at this point was that the man before her was a friend of her father's, but his name wasn't coming to her. At some point she was going to have to read up on what parts of this new timeline she'd missed out on.

“Angel, remember?” The man cracked a smile. “Your dad brought you here three and a half years ago because you were missing Arcadia Bay so much...” He stood up and went into the kitchen for a moment, bringing back two glasses of water and setting one down in front of the young woman. “He thought you would've liked Seattle.”

So the man's name was Angel. Right. Deep breaths, Max told herself as she picked up the water to take a sip. “Y-Yeah, at first. But I missed my best friend so much that I came back for her. You know? Chloe Price?” She sighed as she set the glass down. “I felt awful on the day I left. I was spending some time with her before I was due to leave, and that was when Joyce came back with the news that Chloe's dad had... well...” Max looked down and let out another sigh, feeling that she was getting upset again. Angel handed her another tissue.

“You told me a lot about her. You should bring her here sometime, I'd like to get to know her better.” It was then that Angel stood up, going back to the kitchen. “I'm more than the cryptid-hunting hermit that everyone thinks I am. You know that, right Max?”

“Of course. I guess... I just don't want people laughing at you for your hobbies.” Max really wasn't sure how to respond since she was still pretty much clueless about how she'd interacted with Angel here – after all, in her mind she'd only just met the man. “Most would say that you're wasting your time with chasing fairy tales. But there is some really fucked up shit out there.”

After the two talked over some tea and biscuits, Max stood up and went to grab her bags, telling Angel that she had to head back to her dorm. Although she wanted to speak with him more and try to learn what she really knew about him, she remembered what she had originally come here for, and that was to set things right. At least back in the relative comfort of the dorm, she could gather her thoughts and feelings alone and do some research.

 


End file.
